Trive sells 44-year-old aerospace parts specialist Kittyhawk to Viking Global-backed MSC
What's the deal? Trive CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has sold KittyhawkDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Inc. to Machine SciencesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → (MSC), a portfolio company of Viking Global. Founded in 1981, Kittyhawk provides Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) services for the space, commercial aerospace, defense, and power generation markets. Terms were not disclosed.
What does Kittyhawk do? It densifies cast and additively manufactured parts destined for high-temperature, high-pressure applications such as rocket and jet engine components. The work targets mission-critical uses where the cost of failure is high.
Why now? Trive invested in Kittyhawk in late 2022, marking the first institutional backing for a business that had been family-owned for more than 40 years. Since then, the company acquired Stack HIPDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in 2024, adding what Trive describes as the largest high-pressure HIP vessels in North America at its Albany, Oregon facility.
What's the endgame? Under Trive, Kittyhawk expanded capacity, improved cycle efficiency, and broadened its customer base. "Kittyhawk meaningfully expanded capacity, improved cycle efficiency, and broadened the customer base while staying true to the quality and turnaround performance we've become known for," said Brandon Creason, president and chief executive officer of Kittyhawk.
The players: Trive is a Dallas-based private equity firm with more than $8 billion of regulatory assets under management, focused on middle-market companies. KAL Capital served as lead financial advisor and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLPDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → provided legal counsel to Trive and Kittyhawk.
The signal: The exit reflects sustained investor interest in specialised manufacturing tied to space, next-generation commercial aerospace, and defense programs. Trive partner Tanner Cope called Kittyhawk "a West Coast leader in a mission critical capability" — a niche that continues to draw capital as demand across those programs grows.
Read more: PR Newswire
